The use of injection-molded plastic packaging has become a mainstay for packaging consumer products, especially those that have a higher moisture content, such as wet wipes. One advantage of such packaging is that it can designed to conveniently dispense product. However, such packaging can be expensive, adding to the cost of the overall product. In addition, such packaging is typically made from virgin petroleum-derived polymers formulated with materials that fluctuate greatly in price. Furthermore, injection molded articles made from virgin polymers have a high environmental foot print, otherwise referred to as a high “eCO2”. (The eCO2 for a given material is determined by a material life cycle analysis wherein a method of measuring carbon equivalents is used to obtain the overall carbon footprint.) This is primarily due to the inherent high energy input used to produce the virgin polymers, and the resulting green-house gas emissions.
One solution to the high expense of injection molded packaging or other articles is to substitute a portion of the virgin polymers with recycled-content polymers. Such material may consist of post-consumer plastic waste. However, even though the addition of recycled content reduces cost, relying on post-consumer waste as a material supply is not necessarily advantageous because the physical properties of the resulting injection-molded articles (e.g. packaging) may vary and may not be adequate. With respect to plastic packaging, retailers and consumers may drop packages which may cause cracking and other damage to the package. Therefore, packaging material needs to be able to withstand a certain level of impact without cracking or otherwise failing.
A need exists for a composition that consistently exhibits physical properties within a desired range, such as impact strength and strain at failure. Further, there is a need for compositions that are sustainable in that they are made from waste or by-products, and not made solely from virgin materials. In addition, there is a need for a composition that produces injection-molded articles that are less costly than compositions of 100% virgin materials.